Hi,
I’m a senior high school student and I just got my EFC back from FAFSA and it came to about 18,000 a year. This is totally not what my parents can afford paying! My mom also recently lost her job and found a new one making about $5 less an hour than her old one. However, the fafsa doesn’t reflect this because her 2016 tax forms show her old income. I have a part time job but I only make 8.15 an hour and, as a student, don’t get that many hours. My top choice school is Ohio University with the tuition about 27,000 a year. I have to go here because it is one of the few close to affordable places that offer my major. I also have taken college classes for the past two years of high school, so I will be a sophomore when I enter college. Does anyone have any advice on how to make up for the rest of the money? I have no idea what loans to look at or take out. Should I wait till I get my financial aid packet from OU to meet with a financial adviser? Will this impact my chances for work-study? I also have a 3.6 gpa and a 25 on the act with new act scores coming soon. Does anyone know my chances for merit scholarships? How much I could possibly receive? Sorry for all the information, I just want to make sure there is enough to give informed answers. Please help!
To get enough merit you might need to apply to a few more colleges like Kent State, Youngstown State, Cleveland State. Run the net price calculators there, they should all ask for grades and scores and give a merit estimate.
Are you instate for Ohio?
You can see if the school will take into consideration your mom’s lower income but they might not.
What is your major?
I’ve applied to Kent, but my major is animation and they only offer it at the tuscawaras campus, which has no housing. This mean I would have to pay for an apartment on top of tuition costs. I am instate for Ohio. The other colleges, unfortunately don’t offer my major.
Call Ohio U financial aid. Explain that your mom has a 5 dollar per hour reduction in pay since 2016 taxes and ask about the procedures to do a financial aid appeal based on that drop in income. Ask whether they want your appeal right away or after the initial aid offer is written.
Collect whatever paperwork you have to document your situation and any forms they ask for.
The first loan you take is always the federal direct student loan, which is a maximum 5,500 for freshmen. However, once your credits transfer, you could ask for the sophomore loan of 6,500 at that point.
Any remaining loans will depend on the credit rating of your consigner.
There is a directory of loan options here
http://privatestudentloans.guru/
Ohio University is a great school (I’m saying this as a proud alum)…but the college doesn’t guarantee to meet full need at all…and never has.
Even if you get some professional judgement regarding your mom’s income…that doesn’t mean you will get additional aid.
Are your parents married to each other? Have you run the net price calculator for Ohio University?
What are your SAT or ACT scores…and your GPA? Are the high enough to perhaps qualify for merit aid…OU offers some good merit aid to high achieving applicants.
Also, IIRC, isn’t this one of the schools that guarantees your tuition costs for all four years? Maybe not…but check that.
How much CAN your family pay for college each year.
Ohio U is about $12,000 tuition and $12,000 room and board.
You have to pay for housing there too.
The only way you wouldn’t have to pay for housing is if you can commute to a school from home. Are there any 4 year universities in commuting distance of your home?
You can look for an apartment and split the rent with roommates if you have to.
so I will be a sophomore when I enter college<<<<<<
You really want to make sure you have that right as pertaining to your major. Have you spoken with an adviser as to how this all works? Look up the 4 yr plan. It seems unlikely you would have fulfilled 2 yrs of your major reqs. Your other consideration is that of your major. Maybe you have to tweak that. Is it computer animation?
^^^ YSU is one of the more affordable schools in Ohio. And they offer excellent merit as well. http://www.ysu.edu/content/office-financial-aid-and-scholarships/scholarships
None of us can. Or I should say most of us can’t afford to pay the EFC. The EFC is a joke.
Is your family likely to be Pell Grant eligible under new FAFSA because of reduced income? If so, Ohio State might be an affordable option because they are committed to meeting need for Pell eligible students.
“The university will ensure that all in-state students who qualify for Pell Grants — a key federal program for students with financial need — receive an aid package that covers the full cost of tuition and mandatory fees. The university will provide institutional aid to close any gap that remains after Pell Grants, Ohio College Opportunity Grants and other gift aid awarded to qualified students.”
https://news.osu.edu/news/2017/09/26/tuition-pell/
Ohio State has animation https://art.osu.edu/news/ohio-state-ranked-number-one-animation
OP has a 25 ACT Not sure if that’s high enough for tOSU main campus.
Also the EFC is $18,000
Even if the mom now makes $5 less an hour, for most of 2017 she earned her normal salary. So I don’t expect the EFC to go down much until 2018 maybe, and most likely not low enough for Pell grant.
Do you have any affordable options?
We couldn’t pay our EFC, so iur kid went to community college for two years, then transferred to a cheap in-state university.
You could work for a year and get some gen-eds out of the way at community college, then transfer to instate public with your major.
Shawnee State University is offering full-tuition scholarships for African American students and female high school students in Ohio, enrolling next fall of 2018. Apply by the December 1 deadline to qualify!
http://www.shawnee.edu/game-scholarship/
Since you are instate for Ohio, are you close to any of the OSU branches? You could start there with gen ed courses and save money. You are then guaranteed a spot at OSU. Maybe this could be an affordable option. I believe there are two branches that also have living options and merit if I recall correctly. I understand Ohio U is your top choice. Posters have given some great possibilities. Take a few days to research and talk with your parent, counselor, etc. Best of luck to you!
OSU branches are an incredible value, cheaper tuition and housing. Newark and Mansfield have dorms. Lima has private off campus housing. As does Marion which has a privately owned student apartment complex - full kitchen, private bedrooms which were about $550/mo last year within walking distance. Marion also has special scholarships, offers art education degree - so several art classes and university awards that can help build up the honors section of a resume. Honors classes are also available.
$7500/year tuition http://osumarion.osu.edu/students/financial-aid/tuition-and-fees.html
- 2000 auto merit aid for 25 ACT http://osumarion.osu.edu/students/financial-aid/marion-scholarship-information.html
$5500
-1250 President's affordability grant if recalculated EFC is less than $14,300
$4250 stackable competitive scholarships from Alber (Marion) funds or outside scholarships may reduce costs more
The apartments, shopping and restaurants (good places for students to work) are also within walking distance of the Marion campus.
If you are interested in Marion reach out to Matt Moreau http://osumarion.osu.edu/future-students/financial-aid.html